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Top 50 Martial Arts Movies

Using data from movie review aggregation websites Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and IMDb, we’ve listed the best martial arts films widely released in the U.S. Newsweek

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Martial arts movies began in 1920s China, where they were labeled as "wu xia pian," or "films of chivalrous combat." Movies such as 1928’s The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple set the template with its high-tech special effects and stylised fight sequences in its portrayal of scrappy martial arts cliques. Sadly, despite its mammoth 27-hour running length, this early martial arts classic has since been lost entirely.

In the 1930s the Chinese government censorship board delivered a fatal death blow to the genre, which they saw as violating morality, and the martial arts movie scene shifted to Hong Kong. These movies tended to favor real, trained kung fu martial artists rather than flashy special effect trickery.

Meanwhile, Japanese directors were developing a martial arts movie tradition of their own. Akira Kurosawa, who is widely regarded as among the best directors of all time, stunned audiences with 1954’s Seven Samurai, which portrayed the titular samurai battle bandits during the medieval Sengoku Period.

Although martial arts had influenced Hollywood, there wasn’t truly a crossover moment until the very loud arrival of Bruce Lee in the 1970s. With movies such as Enter the Dragon, Lee developed a unique gritty style, including a racially diverse cast while revolutionizing Hollywood’s portrayal of Asian masculinity.

Lee had died, aged just 32, by the time Enter the Dragon was released, but another actor was waiting in the wings to become the next global martial arts star. Hong Kong native Jackie Chan’s on-screen persona came across as less cerebral than Lee’s, but his everyman appeal drew audiences and drove Hollywood box office smashes such as 1998’s Rush Hour and 2000’s Shanghai Noon .

By then, martial arts movies were fully engulfed in the mainstream, with movies such as The Matrix (1999) polishing cleverly choreographed fight scenes into CGI-augmented perfection. The time was ripe for international blockbuster Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) to return the form to its Chinese roots.

Although the martial arts movie has waned in popularity over the past decade, franchises such as The Raid show how the genre still allows international collaborations to shine—The Raid movies are Indonesian productions with a Welsh director.

Using data from movie review aggregation websites Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and IMDb, we’ve listed the best martial arts films which were widely released in the U.S.

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49. District 13: Ultimatum(2009). Total score: 190. IMDb users: 6.5. Metacritic: 64. Rotten Tomatoes: 6.1. Directed by: Patrick Alessandrin. Starring: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Philippe Torreton. Plot summary: Damien and Leito return to District 13 on a mission to bring peace to the troubled sector that is controlled by five different gang bosses, before the city's secret services take drastic measures to solve the problem. Get it here.Magnet Releasing

48. Brotherhood of the Wolf(2001). Total score: 191. IMDb users: 7.1. Metacritic: 57. Rotten Tomatoes: 6.3. Directed by: Christophe Gans. Starring: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Jérémie Renier. Plot summary: In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast. Get it here.Universal Pictures

47. Rumble in the Bronx(1995). Total score: 192. IMDb users: 6.8. Metacritic: 61. Rotten Tomatoes: 6.3. Directed by: Stanley Tong. Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Françoise Yip. Plot summary: A young man visiting and helping his uncle in New York City finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial art skills. Get it here.New Line Cinema

44. The Last Samurai(2003). Total score: 196. IMDb users: 7.7. Metacritic: 55. Rotten Tomatoes: 6.4. Directed by: Edward Zwick. Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly. Plot summary: An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle. Get it here.Warner Bros.

43. The Way of the Dragon(1972). Total score: 197. IMDb users: 7.3. Metacritic: (n/a). Rotten Tomatoes: 6.3. Directed by: Bruce Lee. Starring: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao. Plot summary: A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them. Get it here.Bryanston Distributing